It’s arguably one of the games of the week, with Conference USA consequences on the line, as the undefeated Liberty Flames take on the 4-3 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers under the Tuesday night lights.
Who emerges victorious in this exciting encounter? Ahead of the game, we’ve got the latest college football betting odds, DFS picks, and a Western Kentucky vs. Liberty prediction.
Western Kentucky vs. Liberty Betting and DFS Preview
All odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook and correct as of Monday, Oct. 23, 2023. Want to take advantage of the Western Kentucky vs. Liberty odds? Visit the College Football Network live college football odds page to place bets in your state.
- Spread
Liberty -4 - Moneyline
Liberty -198, Western Kentucky +164 - Over/Under
60 points - Game time
8 p.m. ET - Location
Houchens Industries-L.T Smith Stadium, Bowling Green, KY - Predicted Weather at Kick
57 degrees, 6-8 mph winds, mostly clear - How to Watch
ESPNU, FuboTV
If you’re going to take advantage of the Western Kentucky vs. Liberty odds, consider some of the following factors before you part with your hard-earned cash. Feel like throwing some cash on the Flames? Should you be weary of Western Kentucky or will hammering the Hilltoppers build up your betting balance?
Jamey Chadwell’s Liberty team comes into this pivotal Tuesday night matchup with an undefeated record, and they’re also unbeaten in the three-game head-to-head against Western Kentucky. That includes two wins in Bowling Green, with their most recent victory coming during the 2020 campaign that saw Malik Willis rise to national prominence.
The Flames are the favorite — as they have been in every game this year — and our Western Kentucky vs. Liberty prediction explains why they can live up to that billing. They’ve also covered the spread in every game where they’re a single-digit favorite, and while Western Kentucky covered in the only other games as a single digit underdog, we’re backing Liberty here too.
Which just leaves the over/under to investigate in the Western Kentucky vs. Liberty odds. Surprisingly given the Hilltoppers high-scoring reputation, the two teams have combined to cover the over in just six of 14 matchups this year. Despite that, our score prediction comes in above the line, with the potential for a plethora of explosive plays resulting in a high-scoring affair.
Top DFS Picks and Fantasy Plays
Western Kentucky Depth Chart | Liberty Depth Chart
- QB Kaidon Salter, Liberty ($11,000)
- QB Austin Reed, Western Kentucky ($10,700)
- RB Quinton Cooley, Liberty ($9,800)
- RB Billy Lucas, Liberty ($5,800)
- RB Markese Stepp, Western Kentucky ($5,700)
- RB Elijah Young, Western Kentucky ($5,500)
- RB Davion Ervin-Poindexter, Western Kentucky ($5,400)
- RB L.T. Sanders, Western Kentucky ($5,000)
- RB James Jointer, Liberty ($4,900)
- WR Malachi Corley, Western Kentucky ($9,500)
- WR CJ Daniels, Liberty ($8,300)
- WR Treon Sibley, Liberty ($7,200)
- WR Easton Messer, Western Kentucky ($6,800)
- WR Dalvin Smith, Western Kentucky ($6,200)
- WR Aaron Bedgood, Liberty ($5,900)
- WR Jimmy Holiday, Western Kentucky ($5,400
- WR EJ Smoot, Liberty ($5,000)
- TE Bentley Hanshaw, Liberty ($6,000)
- TE River Helms, Western Kentucky ($5,700)
There are two college football games on Tuesday to compile your DFS team from in Week 9. If you’re new to DFS, Fanduel Superflex contests require you to select a quarterback, two running backs, three wide receivers, and a “superflex” that can be any of the above. Or you can also select a tight end for the Superflex spot.
Let’s start your Western Kentucky vs. Liberty picks at the quarterback position because we have two talented signal-callers at work in this game. There was a time when Austin Reed would be a no-brainer here, but Kaidon Salter has surpassed him as the must-have CUSA QB option. Salter leads all QBs from the conference in fantasy points, and he’s got a good matchup here.
The same can be said for Liberty running back Quinton Cooley. He’s proven the unstoppable force in the conference following his transfer from Wake Forest. In the biggest games, in the biggest moments, Cooley has been the go-to weapon for the Flames. No other CUSA rusher has broken 100 fantasy points this season.
Western Kentucky doesn’t have a true RB1 to consider.
Western Kentucky WR Malachi Corley is one of the best pass catchers in the country, and after being held under 50 yards without a score against Jacksonville State, he’s primed for a big game. The last time he was held scoreless (vs. MTSU), the highly talented Hilltopper followed up with a 207-yard and three-score performance.
Prediction for Western Kentucky vs. Liberty
Okay, so we’ve furnished you with the Western Kentucky vs. Liberty odds and some DFS picks. Now, it’s time to close this thing out with our prediction.
Can Liberty continue their unbeaten run in a game that is arguably the most difficult of the Flames season so far?
Can Western Kentucky re-establish itself as the team to beat in the conference after an inconsistent start?
Although his numbers are a shadow of last season, Western Kentucky QB Reed remains one of the top passers in the nation. His connection with pass catcher Corley ensures that the Hilltoppers are still a formidable offense to have to face.
Averaging 30.0 points per game — from a schedule featuring difficult defenses to face — they rank second in CUSA for scoring.
Liberty has shown that they can be susceptible to explosive passing plays in close wins over Middle Tennessee and Sam Houston, and there’s no team in CUSA more capable of producing such plays than the Hilltoppers. That said, a formidable secondary led by Tyren Dupree, Brylan Green, and Kobe Singleton has helped the Flames lead the nation in interceptions.
That makes relying solely on the passing game a dangerous business, and Western Kentucky doesn’t have much in the way of a ground game. That’s completely opposite to Liberty, who can make plays through the air behind the arm of Salter but truly thrive on the ground — both with their RBs and their dual-threat QB.
That should be a difference-maker against a porous WKU rush defense. Watch for Salter to pull a similar performance to the one Jacksonville State got out of Zion Webb as the Hilltoppers fell to the Gamecocks a week ago.
The Flames continue to be hot property in 2023.
Prediction: Western Kentucky 28, Liberty 33